Hospitality businesses under pressure: why turnover is vanity and profit is sanity
It’s no secret that the hospitality sector is facing one of its toughest periods in recent memory. From pubs and restaurants to cafés and catering firms, businesses across the UK are grappling with rising costs, shrinking margins and growing uncertainty. For many directors, the question is no longer whether things are difficult. It’s how long […]
UK insolvency and company rescue in 2025: what’s changing and what Directors need to know
As Insolvency Practitioners, we believe one of our strengths is what we call our ‘bedside manner’, in other words, how we deliver a caring and bespoke personal service to directors whose businesses are facing financial difficulties. Part of this is keeping up to speed with what’s going on with businesses that are struggling to better […]
Overdrawn Directors’ Loan Accounts: why do they matter in insolvency?
Overdrawn Directors’ Loan Accounts in insolvency – the consequences for directors could be severe. Is your company insolvent? Could it be heading towards liquidation? Overdrawn Directors’ Loan AccountS (DLA) are not just a technical detail. When a Company enters an insolvency process a DLA becomes due and payable and is a legal debt that you, […]
Family Business Insolvency: when relationships and risk collide
Family businesses are a cornerstone of the UK economy. They outnumber all other private sector firms, employ millions, and contribute significantly to national output. But when a family-run company faces financial difficulty, the challenges go far beyond the balance sheet, with impacts on relationships, succession plans, and even personal assets. In this article, we look […]
Struggling businesses should think twice about taking out loans for survival, especially where Personal Guarantees (“PG’s”) are involved
The increasing challenge of securing business finance – and the potential risks of using Alternative Lenders The ability for small businesses to secure finance has become significantly more challenging in recent years. According to a recent analysis by Funding Xchange, businesses seeking loans are now carrying more than double the debt-to-turnover ratio compared to pre-pandemic […]
Antony Batty & Company Employee Focus: Tom O’Keeffe
Insolvency Specialist Tom is based at our Central London Office and specialises in Creditors Voluntary Liquidations and Administrations. This month we are shining the spotlight on one of our colleagues, Tom O’Keeffe, an insolvency specialist who is based at our Central London office. Tom works closely alongside our Licensed Insolvency Practitioners and specialises in Creditors Voluntary Liquidations. […]
Joiner receives 15 month suspended jail sentence for Covid Bounce Back Loan fraud despite repaying the Loan in full
The Government’s tough stance on Covid Bounce Back Loan (BBL)* fraud continues In a recent case, a former joiner from Romford has been sentenced for Covid Bounce Back Loan fraud (BBL)*, demonstrating the seriousness with which the Insolvency Service addresses such misconduct. Details of this Case Charles Ling, aged 57, of Havering-atte-Bower, Essex, who operated […]
Are there alternatives to liquidating a limited company without using an Insolvency Practitioner?
“I can’t afford to liquidate my company. What are the alternatives to liquidation?” This ia question we are often asked. When directors are facing the stressful task of closing their limited company, the cost of appointing a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner (IP) to run a formal procedure, such as a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL), can seem […]
Directors, if you do the same things again, you risk getting the same result – another liquidation!
“What am I going to do for work if I have to liquidate my company?”* I meet many directors every year, especially those of small companies, where we have acted as liquidators, who then tell me they want to set up a new business and start again. They say they don’t know anything different, want […]
In the Nicest Way, I Don’t Want to See You Again!*
Preventing Multiple Liquidations and Avoiding Director Disqualification Multiple liquidations can lead to an Insolvency Service investigation and possible Director Disqualification for directors breaching their duties. As a director at a firm of Insolvency Practitioners, my primary goal is to help businesses navigate through financial distress and, when necessary, guide them through the liquidation process. However, […]
